Lesson 2 October 3-9
Lesson 1 September 26-October 2
The Family Commentary in Navy Inspiration in Maroon
Sabbath AfternoonRead for This Week’s Study: Gen. 3:1-15, 2 Cor. 4:6, Luke 1:26-38, Matt. 1:18-24, Eph. 4:15, 1 John 3:18, Deuteronomy 6.
Memory Text: “My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother” (Proverbs 1:8, NKJV).
As human beings, we are always (ideally) learning. In fact, life itself is a school.
“From the earliest times the faithful in Israel had given much care to the education of the youth. The Lord had directed that even from babyhood the children should be taught of His goodness and His greatness, especially as revealed in His law, and shown in the history of Israel. Song and prayer and lessons from the Scriptures were to be adapted to the opening mind. Fathers and mothers were to instruct their children that the law of God is an expression of His character, and that as they received the principles of the law into the heart, the image of God was traced on mind and soul. Much of the teaching was oral; but the youth also learned to read the Hebrew writings; and the parchment rolls of the Old Testament Scriptures were open to their study.” — Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 69.
For most of human history, education took place mostly in the home, especially for the early years. What does the Bible say about education in the family, and what principle can we take away from it for ourselves, whatever our family situation happens to be?
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, October 10.
Sunday ↥ October 4
The First FamilyWe haven’t been given many details – none, really – in the initial pages of Scripture regarding the kind of family education that went on in the earliest days of human history, though we can be sure that it was in the family structure itself that education took place back then.
“The system of education established in Eden centered in the family. Adam was ‘the son of God’ (Luke 3:38), and it was from their Father that the children of the Highest received instruction. Theirs, in the truest sense, was a family school.” — Ellen G. White, Education, p. 33.
And though we don’t know exactly what was taught, we may be sure that it dealt with the wonders of creation and, after sin, the plan of redemption.
What do the following texts teach, and why would these surely have been part of the education that Adam and Eve imparted to their children? Genesis 1-2, Gen. 3:1-15, 2 Cor. 4:6, Luke 10:27, Gal. 3:11, Rev. 22:12.
“The system of education instituted at the beginning of the world was to be a model for man throughout all aftertime. As an illustration of its principles a model school was established in Eden, the home of our first parents.” — Ellen G. White, Education, p. 20.
Christian education is a commitment to educating families and members in doctrine, worship, instruction, fellowship, evangelism, and service. Home is where you minister to family members about the love and promises of God. It is where Jesus is introduced to children as their Lord and Savior and friend, and where the Bible is upheld as the Word of God. Family is where you model what a healthy relationship with our heavenly Father looks like.
In Genesis 4:1-4, we have both Cain and Abel bringing their offerings to the Lord. We surely can assume that they learned about the meaning and importance of the offerings as part of their family education regarding the plan of salvation. Of course, as the story shows, a good education doesn’t always lead to the kind of outcome that one would hope for.
Whatever your home situation is, what choices can you make in order for it to be an environment where truth is taught and lived out?
Monday ↥ October 5
The Childhood of JesusScripture gives us very little detail about the childhood of Jesus. Much from those years remains a mystery. However, we have been given some insight into the character of His earthly parents, Mary and Joseph, and what we learn about them could help explain to us something of His childhood and early education.
What do these texts teach us about Mary and Joseph and how might they give us insight into how Jesus had been educated by His parents?
Luke 1:26-38
Luke 1:46-55
Matt. 1:18-24
Through these texts we can see that both Mary and Joseph were faithful Jews, seeking to live in obedience to the laws and commandments of God. And indeed, when the Lord came to them and told them about what was going to happen with them, they faithfully did all that they were told.
“The child Jesus did not receive instruction in the synagogue schools. His mother was His first human teacher. From her lips and from the scrolls of the prophets, He learned of heavenly things. The very words which He Himself had spoken to Moses for Israel He was now taught at His mother’s knee. As He advanced from childhood to youth, He did not seek the schools of the rabbis. He needed not the education to be obtained from such sources; for God was His instructor.” — Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 70.
No doubt Mary and Joseph were good and faithful teachers to the Child but, as the story in Luke 2:41-50 reveals, there was much about their Son that they did not understand, because Jesus had knowledge and wisdom that had been imparted to Him only by the Lord.
Read again the Ellen G. White quote above. How do we wrap our minds around what she wrote here about how He learned at His mother’s knee the words that He Himself had spoken? What does this tell us about the amazing love of God? How should we, fallen and sinful creatures, respond?